The well-being of domestic animals is closely related to their feeding. Correct feeding should result in a fit and healthy pet. In addition to providing nutritional value, food composition influences the intestinal microflora equilibrium and may lead to or prevent gastrointestinal disorders. Therefore, knowledge on the gastro-intestinal tract and digestion processes of healthy animals is integral to the understanding of a practical feeding practice. As meat-eaters, cats and dogs are characterized by a short digestive tract and a rapid flow rate of the bolus of food.
Among the constituents of the gastrointestinal microflora of cats and dogs Bacteroides sp., Clostridium sp., Enterobacteriaceae, Bifidobacterium sp., Lactobacillus sp., Streptococcus sp., Staphylococcus sp. and yeasts can be recovered.
The number and composition of this endogenous flora tend to be rather stable, although age and, to a lesser degree, food may modify it. Gastric acidity, bile, intestinal peristalsis and local immunity are factors thought to be important in the regulation of bacterial flora in the small intestine of human beings and various other mammals.
Often canine and feline gastrointestinal disorders are linked to bacterial overgrowth and the production of enterotoxins produced by pathogenic bacteria.
During the last few years research has focused on some valuable strains of lactic acid bacteria and their potential use as probiotic agents. Probiotics are considered to be viable microbial preparations which promote mammalian health by preserving the natural microflora in the intestine. Probiotics are thought to attach to the intestinal mucosa, colonize the intestinal tract and thereby prevent attachment of harmful micro-organisms thereon. A prerequisite for their action resides in that they have to reach the gut's mucosa in a proper and viable form and especially do not get destroyed by the influence of the low pH prevailing in the stomach. In particular, the physiology of the digestive tract of cats and dogs differs from humans. For example, the average pH in the stomach is about 3.4 for dogs and 4.2 for cats.
Although U.S. Pat. No. 5,968,569 discloses the inclusion of a probiotic micro-organism in a pet food cereal, neither it, nor the remaining available art provides information concerning strains specifically intended for pet health.
Consequently, there is a need to provide novel bacterial strains that are particularly adapted for pets and that have been selected for their high probiotic properties beneficial for pet health and to incorporate these strains into a pet food composition.